The Will of the Force
by TheMacUnleashed
Summary: Ahsoka gives in to her emotions. Alternate ending up.
1. Chapter 1

Ahsoka kept a smile on her face as her Master informed the Council of their latest mission. Once again, he got the credit for what was rightfully hers. Once again, she was just a Padawan.

After the briefing, she told her Master that she was going to wander around the Temple for awhile. Anakin frowned slightly at this. "You should probably stay at our quarters, Padawan. I'm surprised enough that we have time in between missions, and chances are that we'll be called out soon. I don't want you to be far away if we are. Anyway, don't you have friends you wish to see? I know we've been gone for quite a long time and all."

Again, she wore the fake smile. "Good idea, Master. I'll see if any of them are here. I have my com-link with me. Bye!"

She was aware that he would be confused by her abrupt departure, but for reasons beyond her she didn't want her Master to know that she didn't _have_ any friends.

Outside, she breathed a breath of Coruscant air. Fresh couldn't describe it, but somehow the imperfect air seemed to be a metaphor for her. _Not perfect, obviously. That much is clear. And yet, you never realize just how deep these imperfections run. Yes, _Ahsoka thought with a harsh smile, _the air and I are alike. _

"I understand," whispered a voice. "I can help you."

She stopped, glad that she was alone. "Who are you?" she asked in a tone equal to the other voice's. Every instinct Ahsoka had ordered her to turn around, but she resisted.

"Give in," whispered the voice. "Turn around."

Normally, she would have resisted. But curiosity, perhaps something she shouldn't feel as a Jedi got the best of her.

And then she was not outside of the Temple anymore. Rather, she was in a small, dark, windowless chamber.

This time, when she turned around, she was not truly alone.

The hologram she was facing smiled at her. Before she could get out a defiant comment, it began to speak.

"I know what you need, oh Padawan of the Chosen One."

He smiled as she bristled at the comment. "You no longer wish to be known as that, do you? You are your own person. And you have emotions, Ahsoka. Emotions that I like. Tell me, what do you feel?"

She knew better than to answer, but did anyhow. "I feel… resentment, no, hatred, towards Master. I feel angry, because I am never granted proper credit. Angry, because I am held down. Because I am known not as myself, but as _his_ Padawan."

"I like that. Now, release that emotion to the Force."

"I can't! It's not right! He deserves my hatred! He keeps secrets from me, but I cannot keep any from him. He breaks the Code, and tells me not to. He takes away who I am."

The figure smiled. "And how do you know all of this?"

She stared at him. "I don't…" Ahsoka fell to her knees, clutching her head. "I didn't know before, but I do now. And I'm glad I do."

Still smiling, the man- if he could really be called that- said, "So you give yourself to me?"

She did not hesitate. Pulling out her saber and laying it at the foot of the hologram, she murmured, "I, Ahsoka Tano, give myself to you, to be trained, as is the true Will of the Force."

Darth Sideous's smile widened. "Rise, Darth Verum."


	2. Chapter 2

Sideous did not speak. There was no need to. Ahsoka knew what was expected of her; what she had to do.

She bowed once again, and was transported back to the Temple. _The prison, _she thought, a twisted smile altering her normally delicate red features.

With a walk that was deliberately slow, she headed back to the rooms she shared with her Master. _Interesting, _she mused. _You never realize how contained it is here, until your eyes have been opened. _

Yet Ahsoka had to confess to herself that to observe the confinement she had been kept in all her life, save for missions, was only one of the reasons that she was moving at the unusually measured rate. No, she was also reflecting on what she was to do.

And on the joy she would take while doing it.

Arriving at the apartment, she breezily entered and spoke to her Master, "Master, how about a spar?"

Looking slightly surprised at her early return, she had only been gone about half an hour, Anakin replied "Well, Padawan, I'd love to, but aren't you tired? I know that you didn't get much sleep while on Defessus." The team's latest mission, to the planet Defessus, had been to lead the Clone Troopers into battle, as had been the majority of their assignments. The fight that had taken place had not been in the open space above the planet, but on the planet's uneven, rocky terrain. It was one of the few on-ground battles Ahsoka had experienced.

Yes, she hadn't gotten too much sleep. But in the grand scheme of things, that was irrelevant.

"Of course not, Master. I got enough rest on the ship." Small lies were the way of the Sith, thought Ahsoka- Darth Verum, she realized with a start.

_I am not Ahsoka Tano. I am Darth Verum._

Unaware of her thoughts, her Master shrugged and said "If you're up to it, then I would enjoy sparring with you, Ahsoka." _Verum. _

The pair proceeded to the training arena.

The Padawan tried to concentrate on the warm-up stretches, but found she couldn't. _Why should I_? She reflected. _Should the events before it all changes really be playing out so normally_?

For that question, there was no answer.

Anakin's voice interrupted her meditations. "Ready?"

_An understatement. _"Yes Master. Can we go straight to a mock duel?" If she practiced anything else, containing herself would be impossible.

Smiling, he replied, "Why not?"

They both ignited their sabers. _Green. For the last time._

And as they moved into the practice fight, she let herself go.


	3. Chapter 3

At first, Anakin didn't know what had happened. The only thing he was aware of was that the fight was more intense than usual. All he thought was that Ahsoka was fighting with the desire to finally beat him.

Then the Chosen One realized that something was different.

He was losing the fight.

Thinking that all his teaching had paid off, Anakin started to smile. Then he saw her eyes, and realized he was living every Master's nightmare.

Ahsoka's teal eyes had always been her most stunning feature. As a Togruta, most of her features were attractive, but quite average. However, her irises, which some said were the color of Alderaan's largest ocean, had always given her the looks of a model.

But they weren't blue.

No, they were as golden as the fur of the lions of the planet Terra-Leo, shining suns that surrounded pupils as black as obsidian.

His own Padawan bore the mark of the Sith.

Verum knew that he was aware of the change. She smiled slightly. _Good. If he actually challenges me, than it shall be useful practice. _The Sith Apprentice once known as Ahsoka stepped up the fighting, calling on all the buried anger she had: A memory of Council Meetings, watching as Anakin bowed, watching _him_ take credit for her ideas; always watching him break the rules, while _she_ had to follow them; all those nights she had known he had snuck out, and all to meet some senator, _he could fall in love-_

_No. Do not go there._

Facing your demons is never easy, but if it brings anger-

Verum felt her anger double as she just pictured his face. Perhaps a face she had seen a hundred times, but still, this one was different in a way. This time, the face held… love. Love for her.

Just to increase her anger, she thought his name: _Cretum. Clone Commander Cretum._ Just to focus her fury, she pictured the last time she had ever seen him. _One minute feeling_ _his lips against hers, the next her master pulling them apart; a flurry of astonished and angry words flying off his lips, being led away by Anakin, his last words "I'm sorry Ahsoka; it would have never worked; we're two different species-" _

Her hatred swelled to a size she thought impossible. She snarled. The sound that broke from her mouth was one that you rarely heard from a sentient being.

Verum could tell that it surprised Anakin, but not long enough to provide an opening for her.

The fight was nothing like their typical spars. Her Master seemed to know that he was fighting for his life, and was trying to confuse her with different moves. She was being led by the _true_ side of the Force, and hence was fighting in an entirely new way.

_Slash. Slash. Thrust, parry. _She flipped over him, and tried to stab him in the back, but he swung his saber against hers with such power that her landing was slightly off course. Knowing that he had gained some ground with that, Anakin continued to use his size and strength against his former Padawan.

The Sith could tell that he didn't want to do that. Her beliefs were confirmed as he said "Ahsoka- Padawan-"

He did not get further than that. She hissed out, "I am _not_ your Padawan or Ahsoka! _I am Darth Verum!" _Somehow, they heard each other clearly even over the sound of their sabers.

Verum used his sudden shock against him. He was only frozen for a single second, but in that time her emerald blade was hurtling towards his chest.

He reacted on instinct.

And so one moment she was a second away from winning the fight, the next her body was on the ground convulsing. She stared at her Master, whose eyes were, like hers, wide with shock.

And then, for the final time, they closed.

**A/n: Credit for the second to last paragraph goes to my sister, TheMadPsychologist. Happy now?! And I might post an alternate ending to this, and a story about Ahsoka and Cretum. If you'd like to see that, please mention that in your review. Thanks! :)**


	4. Alternate Ending

Anakin stared at Ahsoka. "Snips?" She was fighting with strength beyond her, strength he knew that she didn't have.

He stepped back to get a better look at her. On the way down to the training arena, he hadn't noticed anything different about her, but now he noticed subtle changes: Her fingers were wrapped too tightly around the hilt of her saber; her eyes narrowed in an expression that he had never seen before on her face…

_Her eyes…_

The Chosen One's breath caught in his throat. What kind of a Jedi was he? He should have noticed her eyes weren't their normal teal color; should have seen the yellow irises-

Darth Verum watched her former Master. It was clear to her that he now knew about her change. She smirked, showing all her teeth.

"Surprised, Skywalker? It looks like even the Chosen One can fail." Oh, she _was _enjoying this.

Anakin was quick to gain control of himself. "Ahsoka, what is this all about?"

She chuckled. "Stop pretending. Do you _really_ think that your teaching could control me? Get used to it, _Sky guy-_ you're going to lose everybody eventually." Perhaps the first part was a lie.

Lies and deception were the way of the Sith.

All the time she had spent with him had given Verum a good idea of what he was feeling. And right now, she could sense his sweet astonishment; his _fear_- She drank it all in with glee.

"I don't want to fight you Ahsoka-" Saying that was like throwing wood onto her burning fire of rage.

"_I am not Ahsoka! I am Darth Verum!_" She lunged at him with a feral snarl.

He wasn't prepared for her reaction, which was obvious. But still, he was able to parry of her blows, and using his size and experience to his advantage, quickly gained the upper hand.

Her anger made her an almost equal opponent to him, and anyone watching the fight would swear that she was an actual challenge for the Chosen One, the first one to almost defeat him since Count Dooku.

Still, despite Verum's anger, Anakin _was_ the Chosen One. And Verum _was _completely giving in to her emotions for the first time.

It was a short while before Verum was pinned down. She stared into Anakin's eyes, hate radiating off of her. "Well, aren't you going to kill me now?"

Anyone could tell of Anakin's conflicted emotions. "No. Surrender now, Snips. I won't kill you; you're better than that."

"Never!" Slamming a Force push against her former Master, Verum leapt to her feet. She didn't bother with parting words; there was no need for them.

She ran like she had never ran before. Past the all the gaping Jedi, none whose reflexes were fast enough to stop her; past the Temple; past everything she had ever known.

"Master, forgive me," she gasped bowing before Lord Sideous. "I have failed."

Lord Sideous smiled cruelly. "No, you succeeded. You're only temporary, but you'll do."

Years later, when Verum was but an assassin for the Emperor, she saw who had once been Anakin Skywalker.

She didn't recognize him.


End file.
